Building a professional network in a digital world: A guide for college students and new grads

By Toni Frana, Career Expert for Zety.com 

As economic challenges persist and AI tools are reshaping the entry level job market, this is putting pressure on young people looking for work. Whether you are looking for remote or in person roles, many young professionals are looking for jobs for months, often without a lot of traction. 

Certain strategies can help you have a successful job search, however, as you work to start your career. One of those critical strategies is networking. Networking, and building relationships the right way, as an early career professional can lead to job opportunities, mentors, and valuable career insights that are far more valuable than solely collecting contacts.  

Understanding the Value of a Professional Network 

A professional network not only can provide value and benefits throughout your career, but can help you get your foot in the door early on. For example, there is a market of jobs out there that are never actually posted to a job board. People find these roles through connecting and talking with others, uncovering opportunities that are otherwise hidden. 

When you are able to grow your network with people who have walked ahead of you, having conversations, informational interviews, or even quick written correspondence can help build long-term relationships, while keeping you top of mind for others when they know of opportunities. This is how many people find themselves interviewing or landing a role that wasn’t ever posted on a job board. 

As your network grows and you meet more people who have experience beyond where you are, you are also gaining access to advice from those who have created a path that may work for you. They can share lessons learned, potential ideas for growth, and even challenges faced in the particular role you are aiming for. This information provides invaluable information for you to plan and execute your job search and career development. 

Start with the Network You Already Have 

As a college student or new graduate, you may be thinking: what network? How do I meet people and build connections without experience? Think about your classmates, professors, campus career center staff, internship managers and coworkers. You will likely find you have many connections to make right away. 

Alumni associations and other professional organizations are often eager to help young professionals with anything they need. This is a great networking opportunity. Personal connections like family, friends, and other community connections are helpful as well. Everyone in your network has their own network, which is how many additional introductions can be made. 

When reaching out to people, it’s important to include a genuine and personalized note. You may say something like: 

Good afternoon, <Name>. I enjoyed your post about <subject>. I’m a recent graduate from <school> and am interested in <the type of work you do>. I’d love to connect with you and learn more about your professional experience. Thanks for considering! 

Build Your Digital Presence

There are many ways and many different platforms to consider when growing a network as a young professional. Zety.com , a go-to source for resume templates, analyzed user behavior to uncover some best practices for building your digital presence. Consider starting with a professional headshot, a professional summary (or elevator pitch) that highlights your skills and goals, and strong headlines and keywords throughout your digital profiles. Taking time to brainstorm and note specifics you want to include on your digital profiles will help make the process of creating pages and accounts much easier and streamlined, and also help your profile stand out.

LinkedIn, Handshake, Bold.pro, industry-specific forums, and even professional Slack groups are platforms you could choose to create a presence and work on personal branding. Whether you choose each of these platforms or some of them, you want to make sure your profiles reflect your professionalism, your top skills, and maintain a focus toward what type of job you are looking for. While each one has different features, sharing special projects, presentations, coursework, internships or written articles will help you demonstrate your expertise. This also gives people an idea of what you could offer an organization should you be considered for a specific role. 

Strategies for Digital Networking

While working to grow your network digitally, it is important to keep in mind that engagement is key. Yes, connecting with others is a start, but, commenting thoughtfully on posts, sharing relevant articles, and even creating posts of your own makes a big difference. When you are engaged with others on a platform, not only does that make you more visible to people likely to be looking for someone with your skillset, but because of the algorithms behind these platforms, you will also see more content and people who have similar interests, objectives, and needs. 

Many of these platforms have virtual events like webinars, conferences and alumni meet ups. Attending them increases your visibility but also gives you the opportunity to meet and connect with more people you have common interests with. Often, this is a great rapport builder and can make it easier to facilitate introduction conversations and informational interviews. 

To facilitate an informational interview, start by reaching out to a professional connection inviting them to have a 10-15 minute chat regarding something you’re interested in learning more about from them. Try sending a personal note with a final question such as: Could I send you a few questions, or would you be willing to chat with me for 10 minutes? This opens the door for a potential conversation where you can learn more about them and their work. 

Finally, once you’ve established new connections and had conversations, be sure to send a thank you note. Reaching out occasionally to share updates or relevant information and resources is also helpful, as is sending notes congratulating any of your connections’ accomplishments. 

Combine Online and Offline Efforts 

Going digital is not the only way to grow your network. There are still many opportunities to network in-person. Campus career fairs, student organizations, and local organizations often have events inviting people to come together to socialize and network. 

During these events, you can practice your elevator pitch in person and set follow-up meetings for coffee or lunch. Looking for opportunities to meet people face to face is another solid way to grow your professional network that will add value to your career endeavors for years to come. 

Overcoming Common Challenges

Networking can seem overwhelming, especially when getting started. Breaking your efforts down into manageable steps helps. To start, choose a time when you are most energized and engaged to complete your daily networking goals. From there, set small and longer-term goals. For example, sending one LinkedIn message per day, or following 5 new companies per week. 

Any small activity that you do consistently will yield better results in the future. Figure out a way to track your efforts. Whether it’s a daily checklist, or you prefer a weekly tracking method, tracking your actions over time will give you the results you want. Taking small, daily steps also helps minimize any anxiety over the act of networking itself, which is great! 

While you may not hear back from every note and connection request you make, this should not deter you as people enjoy helping students and young professionals. If you aren’t able to connect with someone, it doesn’t mean they don’t want to. It may simply mean they are busy, they haven’t logged into the platform in awhile, or they plan to respond later. The important thing is that you remain consistent in your activities, as that will yield the best results and help you build long lasting relationships with the right people. 

Networking as a Career Mindset 

Networking will be a pivotal part of your whole career. Getting started with a solid foundation and a strategy at the beginning of your career will help you both in your present and future endeavors. 

Connections you make now will stay with you throughout your career, and building relationships through networking is a skill anyone can be successful at, especially with practice and consistency.